Shown from left is Wincrest Properties President Bernard Plante, Thorndike Development President Lloyd Geisinger, Gov. Kelly Ayotte, EPA New England Administrator Mark Sanborn and Mayor James Donchess during the groundbreaking ceremony of the former Mohawk Tannery Superfund site on Nov. 21. Courtesy photo

NASHUA – After 10 years of toil, ground was broken on Nov. 21 for the remediation of the former Mohawk Tannery Superfund site to allow for the construction of more than 500 housing units.

The remediation work is set to begin on Dec. 10 and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2028. Priced at $31 million, the project is being funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as federal, state and local investments.

During the two-year period, concrete secant walls will be installed down to the bedrock and will contain more than 90,000 cubic yards of contaminated sludge and soil. The containment cell will also be capable of withstanding a 500-year flood.

The $350 million housing development will feature 192 market rate apartments, 38 affordable apartments and 316 market rate condominiums for a total of 546 housing units. The development will also include 10 acres of green space, four acres of open space, a playground, a dog park as well as a canoe/kayak launch and a riverwalk connected to Mine Falls Park.

The entire project is expected to be completed within six to eight years.

“This project is the result of collaboration between the state, federal partners, local officials and the private sector, that’s exactly how we get things done in New Hampshire,” Gov. Kelly Ayotte said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “I’m excited to see a long-abandoned site in my hometown of Nashua cleaned up and turned into much needed housing. I thank everyone involved for the work they did to get us to this exciting groundbreaking.”

Mayor James Donchess said the development “marks a new chapter for Nashua.”

“We are thrilled to break ground on this transformative project that will benefit generations of Nashuans,” he said. “Thanks to decades of work by numerous community partners and neighbors, this contaminated land will be home to over 500 residential units, public green space and recreational amenities for our community.”

Donchess also recognized the work of resident Sandra Belknap, who spent 28 years lobbying for the site’s remediation.

“She has always been the spearhead for Fairmount Heights and Little Florida,” he said.

Wincrest Properties President Bernard Plante said the Mohawk Tannery opened in 1924 and, for the next 60 years, poured toxins such as chromium, phenols and pentachlorophenol into two lagoons located next to the Nashua River. The tannery also emitted noxious odors that permeated Fairmount Heights and Little Florida.

In May 1984, the EPA filed a lawsuit against the tannery and it was closed by the state later that year. The 30-acre property was condemned in 2003.

Plante recalled his initial meetings in 2015 with then-Mayor Donnalee Lozeau to discuss remediating the site.

“There was some arm wrestling that took place over the last four or five years,” he said. “We met with Mohawk Tannery neighborhood groups and other stakeholders and committed to give our best effort to remedy the environmental issues that have plagued Fairmount Heights and Little Florida for decades.”

Lloyd Geisinger, founder and president of Thorndike Development, said Plante approached him about the project four years ago.

From there, they began meeting with senior city officials every two weeks on “Tuesday afternoons to hash things out.”

“This was a public-private partnership and those don’t happen very often,” said Geisinger. “This multigenerational community will turn the long-blighted site into a significant tax revenue generator producing millions of dollars in unrealized taxes in a location that has only caused problems since the site was shut down by the EPA.”

He said this project reminded him of a housing development he built in Haverhill, Mass. in 1985. After residents had moved into the development, Geisinger watched as a school bus stopped and picked up children from homes he had built.

“What we do matters,” he said.